<p>Although it might seem like it doesn't pack enough power, Houndoom is still a viable Pokemon to use in the tier. Its unique typing and its amazing ability in the form of Flash Fire provide Houndoom with an amazing offensive STAB combination, and gives it the ability to resist or be immune to Chandelure's and Victini's STAB moves and proceed to either trap them with Pursuit or strike first with Sucker Punch. It also has access to stat boosting moves such as Nasty Plot, which doubles Houndoom's Special Attack in a pinch, making it a force to be reckoned with. It also has decent offensive stats: 90 / 110 / 95 is a gift for Houndoom, giving it a bit more unpredictability due to the ability of going mixed or purely specially offensive. 95 base Speed is a benchmark that guarantees Houndoom will outspeed Heracross, Chandelure, Roserade, and Nidoking, threatening them all with its STAB moves, although it gets outpaced by the common base 100 Speed Pokemon running around in the tier, such as Shaymin, Zapdos, and Flygon. It also has access to priority moves such as Sucker Punch, meaning it can stand up to powerful threats and strike before them or score a quick revenge kill. However, Houndoom has a very limited and effective movepool, almost reduced to its STAB moves. Moreover, it is extremely frail, thus going down easily to a super effective move. In addition, Houndoom is weak to the most common types present in the tier. Despite its flaws, with the correct support, Houndoom can still punch holes in the opponent's team if they don't pack a safe check.</p>

<p>While Houndoom doesn't have a stellar Attack stat, it's still perfectly capable of function as a powerful mixed attacker. Being immune to Psychic-type moves is a huge bonus for Houndoom and this set abuses that factor. With Pursuit in its arsenal, Houndoom becomes the ultimate threat to Chandelure and Psychic-types, such as Azelf, Meloetta, Xatu, Mew, and Victini, trapping them when they think they can safely switch out. However, we all know that Pursuit is not that strong if the opponent decides to stay in. That's where Sucker Punch kicks in: it not only fixes Houndoom's middling Speed, but also creates an intense mindgame alongside Pursuit where mispredicting will end up badly for the opponent. Fire Blast is Houndoom's best option as a Fire-type STAB move and hits like a truck, even without heavy investment, taking out threats such as Heracross and Roserade. Crunch is a more consistent Dark-type attack when compared to Pursuit and Sucker Punch which eases prediction, whereas Hidden Power Grass hits bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic, for super effective damage and destroys Rhyperior and Swampert, who are both taking close to nothing from any of Houndoom's other attacks.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Since Houndoom is not going to be taking physical hits and it needs its Special Attack stat, Hasty nature is preferred to raise Houndoom's Speed to the max. It already has a decent Special Attack, so the remaining EVs are mainly allocated into Attack to take full potential of most of the moves listed. In the last slot, Dark Pulse can be used over Crunch to make sure Houndoom packs a Dark-type STAB move which hits on the special side. Overheat can be used over Fire Blast for more immediate power, but it often requires a switch when it needs to strike again with the same move. This problem is further compounded by the fact that Houndoom is vulnerable to every kind of entry hazard and has a weakness to Stealth Rock. Therefore, Rapid Spin support is highly recommended. Hitmontop can take on Fighting- and Rock-type Pokemon due to its defensive typing and Intimidate, and Blastoise can take hits from Water-types and put up a threat to Rock-types like Rhyperior. Entry hazard support is also advisable in order to make some KOs possible, mainly Victini. For this reason, Stealth Rock plays a huge role in Houndoom's sweep. Bronzong and Swampert are good partners. Roserade is also a good option, as it beats Water-types with ease and sets up Spikes.</p>

<p>Houndoom's unique STAB combination of Fire and Dark has valuable offensive options on the special side. For this reason, Houndoom is a threatening Nasty Plot user. With this move, Houndoom reaches 638 Special Attack at +2, which means it's going to hit hard no matter what. Fire Blast is Houndoom's Fire-type move of choice. Dark Pulse is Houndoom's strongest Dark-type move and it also gives a 20% chance of flinching your opponent. Both moves combined provide Houndoom with a very good offensive coverage, only resisted by opposing Houndoom and Sharpedo. Hidden Power Fighting strikes both resisters, Porygon2, and Snorlax hard, whereas Hidden Power Grass is there for bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic plus hitting Rhyperior on the spot.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is pretty straightforward: Special Attack and Speed are maximized to increase Houndoom's sweeping potential as much as possible. If you are looking to use Houndoom as an effective stallbreaker, Taunt can be used in the last slot to shut down status inducing moves and Substitute users. Rapid Spin support is mandatory: both Hitmontop and Blastoise are good options, the former takes care of Rock- and Fighting-types while the latter faces Water-types and Rhyperior better. Stealth Rock and Spikes are also important for Houndoom, as they weaken the opponent's team very quickly to the point where Houndoom can come in after setting up and clean up the remaining Pokemon of the opponent's team without too much effort. Bronzong, Swampert, and Roserade fit this role perfectly.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Choice Scarf Houndoom has a niche in the metagame, outspeeding Heracross, the most common Pokemon in the tier, and outpaces every Pokemon not running a Choice Scarf and hits them with its unique STAB combination. A Sunny Day set alongside SolarBeam can also be used to increase Houndoom's Fire-type power while having a superior option to deal with Water-types. Flame Charge increases Houndoom's Speed by one stage, fixing its middling Speed problem. However, that is going to take a slot on its moveset, meaning Houndoom will lose some offensive coverage in the process. Will-O-Wisp has a certain surprise factor, burning the opponent when they expect an offensive move. Magic Coat is even more uncommon and its main use is to bounce back entry hazards and status inflicting moves, both very threatening to Houndoom. Foul Play is a powerful Dark-type physical move that can be used over Crunch, but it relies on the opponent's Attack stat, so Crunch is generally better. A combination of Rest with its ability Early Bird is Houndoom's only way of recovering its health, but Houndoom will often be unable to take any hits in the first place.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Bulky Water-types are and always will be Houndoom's worst nightmare. Pokemon such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic can all take one hit and retaliate with a super effective Water-type move. Snorlax is a very viable choice to deal with Houndoom; it resists Houndoom's Fire-type STAB thanks to its Thick Fat ability and takes close to nothing from Houndoom's other moves, all the while dealing massive amounts of damage with Body Slam or straight knock Houndoom out with Earthquake. Porygon2 can trace Houndoom's Flash Fire to make its Fire-type STAB moves useless and then it can proceed to take Dark Pulses and either inflict status on Houndoom or go for a more offensive approach in the form of Tri Attack or Discharge. Hitmontop can take most of Houndoom's attacks and strike back with Close Combat, or "outspeed" and OHKO with Mach Punch. Azumarill can wash away Houndoom with an Aqua Jet. Arcanine can also sponge any of Houndoom's Fire-type moves and pose a threat with both Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed. Due to Houndoom's middling Speed, it is very vulnerable to revenge killing. Faster Pokemon or Choice Scarf users like Flygon, Mienshao, and Darmanitan can OHKO Houndoom with Earthquake, Hi Jump Kick, and Superpower, respectively.</p>

I don't really think a Scarf set is all that effective. I mean, sure, it has that nice type coverage, but there are several Pursuiters and several Fire types in the tier. It can't even run Max Speed, which means that stuff like Scarf Heracross kills it, and if it invests more in speed, then it is a bit weak. I don't think it should be there (I remember one of the lists discussing revamps questioned its viability).

Also, considering there are about a dozen Water-types in UU, a Passho Berry is actually pretty useful so then it can take a hit as it attempts to set up.

I don't really think a Scarf set is all that effective. I mean, sure, it has that nice type coverage, but there are several Pursuiters and several Fire types in the tier. It can't even run Max Speed, which means that stuff like Scarf Heracross kills it, and if it invests more in speed, then it is a bit weak. I don't think it should be there (I remember one of the lists discussing revamps questioned its viability).

Also, considering there are about a dozen Water-types in UU, a Passho Berry is actually pretty useful so then it can take a hit as it attempts to set up.

After some discussion on IRC, Passho Berry really isn't worth Houndoom's while in this iteration of UU, Waters aren't quite as big a deal as they used to be. The Scarf set simply doesn't have enough advantages over other Scarf users to warrant a full set in the analysis. Hidden Power Fighting is preferable over Taunt, and Hidden Power Grass should be slashed in second. Overheat isn't worth slashing in on the mixed set, since Houndoom is taking full hazard damage plus Life Orb damage, and can't afford to switch out and back in many times.

After some discussion on IRC, Passho Berry really isn't worth Houndoom's while in this iteration of UU, Waters aren't quite as big a deal as they used to be. The Scarf set simply doesn't have enough advantages over other Scarf users to warrant a full set in the analysis. Hidden Power Fighting is preferable over Taunt, and Hidden Power Grass should be slashed in second. Overheat isn't worth slashing in on the mixed set, since Houndoom is taking full hazard damage plus Life Orb damage, and can't afford to switch out and back in many times.

Click to expand...

Ok, I moved the Scarf set to OO, changed the slashes on the Nasty Plot set and moved both Taunt and Overheat to AC

Finished the skeleton. With the drops of the new Pokemon (Mew, Virizion, Meloetta and Tornadus) plus the amount of Pokemon in the top 5 at least that are weak to Houndoom's STAB moves, I really want to make sure QC members look into the Choice Scarf set. It's not nearly as good as other Scarfers, but it has its niche

Moderator

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[Overview]

<p>Although it might seem like it doesn't pack enough power, Houndoom is still a viable Pokemon to use in the tier nowadays. Its unique typing plus its amazing ability in the form of Flash Fire provide Houndoom with an amazing offensive STAB combination and gives it the ability to resist or be immune to Chandelure's and Victini's STAB moves and proceed to either trap then with Pursuit or strike first with Sucker Punch. It also has access to stat boosting moves such as Nasty Plot, which doubles increases Houndoom's Special Attack in a pinch, making it a force to be reckoned with. Its offensive stats aren't that bad either: 90 / 110 / 95 is a gift for Houndoom, giving it a bit more of unpredictability due to the ability of going mixed or purely specially offensive. 95 base Speed is not half bad either: it'sis a benchmark that guarantees Houndoom will outspeed Heracross, Chandelure, Roserade, and Nidoking, threatening them all with its STAB moves, although it gets outpaced by the common base 100 Speed Pokemon running around in the tier. It also has access to priority moves such as Sucker Punch, meaning it can stand up to powerful threats and strike before them or get a quick revenge kill. However, Houndoom has a very limited and effective movepool, almost reduced to its STAB moves. Moreover, it is extremely frail, thus going down easily to a super effective move. In addition, Houndoom is weak to the most common types present in the tier. Despite its flaws, with the correct support, Houndoom can still punch holes in the opponent's team if they you don't pack a safe check.</p>

<p>While it may seem Houndoom doesn't have a stellar Attack stat (and it really doesn't), it's still perfectly viable to function as a powerful mixed attacker. Being immune to Psychic-type moves is a huge bonus for Houndoom and this set abuses that factor. With Pursuit on its arsenal, Houndoom becomes the an ultimate threat to Chandelure and the Psychic-types, such as Azelf, Meloetta, Xatu, Mew, and Victini, trapping them when they think they can safely switch out. However, we all know that Pursuit is not that strong if the opponent decides to stay in. That's where Sucker Punch kicks in: it only only fixes Houndoom's middling Speed, but also creates an intense mindgame alongside Pursuit where mispredicting will might end up badly for the opponent. Fire Blast is Houndoom's best option as a Fire-type STAB move and hits like a truck, even without heavy investment, taking out threats such as Heracross and Roserade. Crunch is a more consistent Dark-type move when comparing to Pursuit and Sucker Punch which eases prediction, whereas Hidden Power Grass hits bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Blastoise, (AC) and Milotic for super effective damage and it destroys Rhyperior and Swampert, who are both taking close to nothing from any of Houndoom's other attacks</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Since Houndoom is not going to be taking physical hits and it needs its Special Attack stat, Hasty nature is prefered to raise Houndoom's Speed to the max. It already has a decent Special Attack stat, so the remaining EVs are mainly put into Attack to take full potential of most of the moves listed. In the last slot, Dark Pulse can be used to make sure Houndoom packs a Dark-type STAB move which hits on the special side. Overheat can be used over Fire Blast for more immediate power, but it often requires a switch-out when it needs to strike again with the same move. This problem is further compounded by the fact that Houndoom is vulnerable to every kind of entry hazards and it has a weakness to Stealth Rock. Therefore, Rapid Spin support is highly recommended. Hitmontop can take on Fighting- and Rock-type Pokemon due to its defensive typing and its ability Intimidate, and Blastoise can take hits from Water-types and put up a threat to Rock-types like Rhyperior. Entry hazards support is also advisable in order to make some KOs possible, mainly Victini. For this reason, Stealth Rock plays a huge roll on Houndoom's sweep. Bronzong and Swampert are good partners. Roserade is also a good option, as it beats Water-types with ease and sets up Spikes.</p>

<p> Both the Fire- and Dark-type, which is Houndoom's unique STAB combination, have valuable offensive options on the special side. For this reason, Houndoom is a threatening Nasty Plot user. With this move, Houndoom reaches 638 Special Attack, which means it's going to hit hard no matter what. Fire Blast is Houndoom's Fire-type move of choice, hitting extremely hard and not having the Special Attack drop of Overheat has. Dark Pulse is Houndoom's strongest Dark-type move and it also gives a 20% chance of flinching your opponent. Both moves combined provide Houndoom with a very good offensive coverage, only resisted by opposing Houndoom and Sharpedo. Hidden Power Fighting strikes both resisters and Porygon2 and Snorlax hard, whereas Hidden Power Grass is there for bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Blastoise, (AC) and Milotic plus hitting Rhyperior on the spot.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is pretty straightforward: maximized Special Attack and Speed to increase Houndoom's sweeping potential as much as possible. If you are looking to use Houndoom as an effective stallbreaker, Taunt can be used in the last slot to shut down status inducing moves and Substitute users. Rapid Spin support is mandatory: both Hitmontop and Blastoise are good options, the former taking care of Rock- and Fighting-types, (RC) while the latter faces Water-types and Rhyperior better. Stealth Rock and Spikes are also important for Houndoom, as they it weaken the opponent's team very quickly to the point where Houndoom can come in after setting up and clean up the remaining Pokemon of the opponent's team without too much effort. Bronzong, Swampert, (AC) and Roserade fit this role perfectly.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Choice Scarf Houndoom has a niche in the metagame, outspeeding Heracross, the most common Pokemon in the tier, plus outpacing every Pokemon not running a Choice Scarf and hitting them with its unique STAB combination. A Sunny Day set alongside Solarbeam can also be used to increase Houndoom's Fire-type power while having a way better option to deal with Water-types. Flame Charge increases Houndoom's Speed by one stage, fixing its middling Speed problem. However, that is going to take a slot on its moveset, meaning Houndoom will lose some offensive coverage in the process. Will-O-Wisp has a certain is a surprise factor, burning the opponent when it's unexpected expects an offensive move. Magic Coat is even more uncommon and its main use is to bounce back entry hazards and status inflicting moves, both very threatening to Houndoom. Foul Play is a powerful Dark-type physical move that can be used over Crunch, but it relies on the opponent's Attack stat, so Crunch is generally better. A combination of Rest with its ability Early Bird is Houndoom's only way of recovering its health, but Houndoom will be often unableit's not like Houndoom is going to take any hits in the first place.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Bulky Water-types are and always will be Houndoom's worst nightmare. Pokemon such as Suicune, Blastoise, (AC) and Milotic can all take one hit and retaliate with a super effective Water-type move. Snorlax is a very viable choice to deal with Houndoom, resist its Fire-type STAB thanks to its Thick Fat ability and taking close to nothing from Houndoom's other moves, while dealing massive amounts of damage with Body Slam or straight knock Houndoom out with Earthquake. Porygon2 can trace Houndoom's Flash Fire to make its Fire-type STAB moves useless and then it can proceed to take Dark Pulses and either status inflict Houndoom or go for a more offensive approach in the form of Tri Attack or Discharge. Hitmontop can take most of Houndoom's attacks and strike back with Close Combat, or "outspeed"the dog and OHKOing with Mach Punch. Azumarill can make Houndoom look like trash once it gets hit with an Aqua Jet. Arcanine can also sponge any of Houndoom's Fire-type moves and pose a trehat with both Close Combat and Extremespeed. Due to Houndoom's middling Speed, it is very vulnerable to revenge killing. Faster Pokemon or Choice Scarf users like Flygon, Mienshao, (AC) and Darmanitan can OHKO Houndoom with Earthquake, Hi Jump Kick, (AC) and Superpower respectively.</p>

GP Approved 1/2

Miguel, go to every UU analysis you've done and change "Suicune, Blastoise and Milotic" to "Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic"

<p>Although it might seem like it doesn't pack enough power While Houndoom’s appearance doesn’t appear to match its power (don’t place an apostrophe in "its"), Houndoom is still a viable Pokemon to use in the tier. Its unique typing plus its and amazing ability in the form of Flash Fire provide Houndoom with an amazing offensive STAB combination.andgives it the ability to resist or be(If you can’t read a sentence in a single breath, try splitting it.)Houndoom is immune to Chandelure's and Victini's STAB moves and can proceed to either trap thenm with Pursuit or strike first with Sucker Punch. It also has access to stat boosting moves such as Nasty Plot, which doubles Houndoom's Special Attack in a pinch, making it a force to be reckoned withso it shouldn’t be underestimated ("A force to be reckoned with" is used a lot, so I do recommend trying another expression.). It also has decent offensive stats aren't that bad either: 90 / 110 / 95 is a gift for Houndoom.,This givesing it a bit more of unpredictability due to the ability of going mixed or purely specially offensive. 95 base Speed is a benchmark that guarantees Houndoom will outspeed Heracross, Chandelure, Roserade, and Nidoking, threatening them all with its STAB moves.,althoughUnfortunately,Houndoomit gets outpaced by the common base 100 Speed Pokemon running around in the tier (try listing some threatening examples here to inform the reader). It also has access to priority moves such as Sucker Punch, meaning it can stand up to powerful threats and strike before them or getscore a quick revenge kill. However, Houndoom has a very limited and effective movepool, which almost reduced toconsists of its STAB moves. Moreover, it is extremely frail, thus going down easily to a super effective move. In addition, Houndoom is weak to the most common types present in the tier. Despite its flaws, with the correct support, Houndoom can still punch holes in the opponent's team if they don't pack a safe check.</p>

<p>While it may seem Houndoom doesn't have a stellar Attack stat (and it really doesn't)(If Houndoom doesn’t have a stellar Attack stat, then say so.), it's still perfectly viable to function as a powerful mixed attacker. Being immune to Psychic-type moves is a huge bonus for Houndoom, and this set abuses that factor. With Pursuit on its arsenal, Houndoom becomes the ultimate threat to Chandelure and Psychic-types, such as Azelf, Meloetta, Xatu, Mew, and Victini, trapping them when they think they can safely switch out. However, we all know that Pursuit is not that strong if the opponent decides to stay in. That's where Sucker Punch kicks in: it only only fixes Houndoom's middling Speed, but also creates an intense mindgame alongside Pursuit where mispredicting will end up badly for the opponent. Fire Blast is Houndoom's best option as a Fire-type STAB move and hits like a truck, even without heavy investment, taking out threats such as Heracross and Roserade. Crunch is a more consistent Dark-type moveattack when comparing to Pursuit and Sucker Punch which eases prediction, whereaswhile Hidden Power Grass hits bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic for super effective damage and destroys Rhyperior and Swampert, who are both taking close to nothing from any of Houndoom's other attacks.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Since Houndoom is not going to be taking physical hits, and it needs its Special Attack stat.,Thus, a Hasty nature is preferred to raise Houndoom's Speed to the max. It already has a decent Special Attack, so the remaining EVs are mainly putallocated into Attack to take full potential of most of the moves listed. In the last slot, Dark Pulse can be used over Crunch as ato make sure Houndoom packs a Dark-type STAB move which hits on the special side. Overheat can be used over Fire Blast for more immediate power, but it often requires a switch when it needs to strike again with the same move. This problem is further compounded by the fact that Houndoom is vulnerable to every kind of entry hazard and has a weakness to Stealth Rock. Therefore, Rapid Spin support is highly recommended. Hitmontop can take on Fighting- and Rock-type Pokemon due to its defensive typing and Intimidate, and Blastoise can take hits from Water-types and put up a threat to Rock-types like Rhyperior. Entry hazard support is also advisable in order to make some KOs possible, mainly on Victini. For this reason, Stealth Rock plays a huge roleloin Houndoom's sweep. Bronzong and Swampert are good partners. Roserade is also a good option, as it beats Water-types with ease and sets up Spikes.</p>

<p> Both the Fire- and Dark-type, Houndoom's unique STAB combination of Fire and Dark, have valuable offensive options on the special side. For this reason, Houndoom is a threatening Nasty Plot user. With this move, Houndoom reaches 638 Special Attack in one use, which means it's going to hit hard no matter what. Fire Blast is Houndoom's Fire-type move of choice, hitting extremely hard and not having the Special Attack drop of Overheat. Dark Pulse is Houndoom's strongest Dark-type move and it also flinches the opponent gives a 20% of the timechance of flinching your opponent. Both moves combined provide Houndoom with a very good offensive coverage, only resisted by opposing Houndoom and Sharpedo. Hidden Power Fighting strikes both resisters,and Porygon2, and Snorlax hard, whereas Hidden Power Grass is there for bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic, andplus hitsting Rhyperior on the spot.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is pretty straightforward: maximized Special Attack and Speed is maximized to increase Houndoom's sweeping potential as much as possible. If you are looking to use Houndoom as an effective stallbreaker, Taunt can be used in the last slot to shut down status inducing moves and Substitute users. Rapid Spin support is mandatory: both Hitmontop and Blastoise are good options:, the former takesing care of Rock- and Fighting-types, while the latter has an advantage overfaces Water-types and Rhyperior better. Stealth Rock and Spikes are also important for Houndoom, as they weaken the opponent's team very quickly to the point where Houndoom can come in after setting up and clean up the remaining Pokemon of the opponent's team without too muchextra effort. Bronzong, Swampert, and Roserade fit this role perfectly.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Choice Scarf Houndoom has a niche in the metagame, outspeeding Heracross, the most common Pokemon in the tier, plus outpacesing every Pokemon not running a Choice Scarf, and hitsting them with its unique STAB combination. A Sunny Day set alongside SolarbBeam can also be used to increase Houndoom's Fire-type power while having a way bettersuperior option to deal with Water-types. Flame Charge increases Houndoom's Speed by one stage, fixing its middling Speed problem. However, that is going to take a slot on its moveset, meaning Houndoom will lose some offensive coverage in the process. Will-O-Wisp has a certain surprise factor, burning the opponent when it expects an offensive move. Magic Coat is even more uncommon and its main use is to bounce back entry hazards and status inflicting moves, both very threatening to Houndoom. Foul Play is a powerful Dark-type physical move that can be used over Crunch, but it relies on the opponent's Attack stat, so Crunch is generally bettermore reliable. A combination of Rest with its ability Early Bird is Houndoom's only way of recovering its health, but Houndoom will often be unable to take any hits in the first place. (If it doesn’t actually work, try saying "Don’t use Rest and Early Bird because...".)</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Bulky Water-types are and always will be Houndoom's worst nightmare. Pokemon such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic can all take one hit and retaliate with a super effective Water-type move. Snorlax is a very viable choice to deal with Houndoom;,it resists itHoundoom’s Fire-type STAB thanks to its Thick Fat ability and takesing close to nothing from Houndoom's other moves, while dealing massive amounts of damage with Body Slam or straight knockoutright kill Houndoom out with Earthquake. Porygon2 can trace Houndoom's Flash Fire to make its Fire-type STAB moves useless., andIt can then it can proceed to take Dark Pulses and either inflict status oninflict Houndoom or go for a more offensive approach in the form of Tri Attack or Discharge. Hitmontop can take most of Houndoom's attacks and strike back with Close Combat, or "outspeed" and OHKO with Mach Punch. Azumarill can wash awaymake Houndoom look like trash once it gets hit with an Aqua Jet. Arcanine can also sponge any of Houndoom's Fire-type moves and pose a trehatthreat with both Close Combat and ExtremesSpeed. Due to Houndoom's middling Speed, it is very vulnerable to revenge killing. Faster Pokemon or Choice Scarf users like Flygon, Mienshao, and Darmanitan can OHKO Houndoom with Earthquake, Hi Jump Kick, and Superpower, respectively.</p>

This was an awesome analysis. I would like to point out, however, that there are some run-on sentences (sentences which read too long). There's also a theme of using "plus" over "and", which should be fixed. There's also some strange prose that is difficult to make sense out of (i.e. "or straight knock Houndoom out with Earthquake"). This check identifies those errors.

Good luck with this analysis!

(By the way, that "last comma" is called a serial comma. Don't forget that!)

C&C Leader

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[Overview]

<p>Although it might seem like it doesn't pack enough power, Houndoom is still a viable Pokemon to use in the tier. Its unique typing and its amazing ability in the form of Flash Fire provide Houndoom with an amazing offensive STAB combination, and gives it the ability to resist or be immune to Chandelure's and Victini's STAB moves and proceed to either trap them with Pursuit or strike first with Sucker Punch. It also has access to stat boosting moves such as Nasty Plot, which doubles Houndoom's Special Attack in a pinch, making it a force to be reckoned with. It also has decent offensive stats: 90 / 110 / 95 is a gift for Houndoom, giving it a bit more unpredictability due to the ability of going mixed or purely specially offensive. 95 base Speed is a benchmark that guarantees Houndoom will outspeed Heracross, Chandelure, Roserade, and Nidoking, threatening them all with its STAB moves, although it gets outpaced by the common base 100 Speed Pokemon running around in the tier such as Shaymin, Zapdos, and Flygon. It also has access to priority moves such as Sucker Punch, meaning it can stand up to powerful threats and strike before them or score a quick revenge kill. However, Houndoom has a very limited and effective movepool, almost reduced to its STAB moves. Moreover, it is extremely frail, thus going down easily to a super effective move. In addition, Houndoom is weak to the most common types present in the tier. Despite its flaws, with the correct support, Houndoom can still punch holes in the opponent's team if they don't pack a safe check.</p>

<p>While Houndoom doesn't have a stellar Attack stat, it's still perfectly viable tocapable of function as a powerful mixed attacker. Being immune to Psychic-type moves is a huge bonus for Houndoom and this set abuses that factor. With Pursuit in its arsenal, Houndoom becomes the ultimate threat to Chandelure and Psychic-types, such as Azelf, Meloetta, Xatu, Mew, and Victini, trapping them when they think they can safely switch out. However, we all know that Pursuit is not that strong if the opponent decides to stay in. That's where Sucker Punch kicks in: it not only fixes Houndoom's middling Speed, but also creates an intense mindgame alongside Pursuit where mispredicting will end up badly for the opponent. Fire Blast is Houndoom's best option as a Fire-type STAB move and hits like a truck, even without heavy investment, taking out threats such as Heracross and Roserade. Crunch is a more consistent Dark-type attack when compared to Pursuit and Sucker Punch which eases prediction, whereas Hidden Power Grass hits bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic, for super effective damage and destroys Rhyperior and Swampert, who are both taking close to nothing from any of Houndoom's other attacks.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Since Houndoom is not going to be taking physical hits and it needs its Special Attack stat, Hasty nature is preferred to raise Houndoom's Speed to the max. It already has a decent Special Attack, so the remaining EVs are mainly allocated into Attack to take full potential of most of the moves listed. In the last slot, Dark Pulse can be used over Crunch to make sure Houndoom packs a Dark-type STAB move which hits on the special side. Overheat can be used over Fire Blast for more immediate power, but it often requires a switch when it needs to strike again with the same move. This problem is further compounded by the fact that Houndoom is vulnerable to every kind of entry hazard and has a weakness to Stealth Rock. Therefore, Rapid Spin support is highly recommended. Hitmontop can take on Fighting- and Rock-type Pokemon due to its defensive typing and Intimidate, and Blastoise can take hits from Water-types and put up a threat to Rock-types like Rhyperior. Entry hazard support is also advisable in order to make some KOs possible, mainly Victini. For this reason, Stealth Rock plays a huge role in Houndoom's sweep. Bronzong and Swampert are good partners. Roserade is also a good option, as it beats Water-types with ease and sets up Spikes.</p>

<p>Houndoom's unique STAB combination of Fire and Dark has valuable offensive options on the special side. For this reason, Houndoom is a threatening Nasty Plot user. With this move, Houndoom reaches 638 Special Attack at +2, which means it's going to hit hard no matter what. Fire Blast is Houndoom's Fire-type move of choice, hitting extremely hard and not having the Special Attack drop of Overheat. Dark Pulse is Houndoom's strongest Dark-type move and it also gives a 20% chance of flinching your opponent. Both moves combined provide Houndoom with a very good offensive coverage, only resisted by opposing Houndoom and Sharpedo. Hidden Power Fighting strikes both resisters, Porygon2, and Snorlax hard, whereas Hidden Power Grass is there for bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic plus hitting Rhyperior on the spot.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is pretty straightforward: Special Attack and Speed are maximized to increase Houndoom's sweeping potential as much as possible. If you are looking to use Houndoom as an effective stallbreaker, Taunt can be used in the last slot to shut down status inducing moves and Substitute users. Rapid Spin support is mandatory: both Hitmontop and Blastoise are good options, the former takes care of Rock- and Fighting-types while the latter faces Water-types and Rhyperior better. Stealth Rock and Spikes are also important for Houndoom, as they weaken the opponent's team very quickly to the point where Houndoom can come in after setting up and clean up the remaining Pokemon of the opponent's team without too much effort. Bronzong, Swampert, and Roserade fit this role perfectly.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Choice Scarf Houndoom has a niche in the metagame, outspeeding Heracross, the most common Pokemon in the tier, and outpaces every Pokemon not running a Choice Scarf and hits them with its unique STAB combination. A Sunny Day set alongside SolarBeam can also be used to increase Houndoom's Fire-type power while having a superior option to deal with Water-types. Flame Charge increases Houndoom's Speed by one stage, fixing its middling Speed problem. However, that is going to take a slot on its moveset, meaning Houndoom will lose some offensive coverage in the process. Will-O-Wisp has a certain surprise factor, burning the opponent when they expect an offensive move. Magic Coat is even more uncommon and its main use is to bounce back entry hazards and status inflicting moves, both very threatening to Houndoom. Foul Play is a powerful Dark-type physical move that can be used over Crunch, but it relies on the opponent's Attack stat, so Crunch is generally better. A combination of Rest with its ability Early Bird is Houndoom's only way of recovering its health, but Houndoom will often be unable to take any hits in the first place.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Bulky Water-types are and always will be Houndoom's worst nightmare. Pokemon such as Suicune, Blastoise, and Milotic can all take one hit and retaliate with a super effective Water-type move. Snorlax is a very viable choice to deal with Houndoom; it resists Houndoom's Fire-type STAB thanks to its Thick Fat ability and takes close to nothing from Houndoom's other moves, all the while dealing massive amounts of damage with Body Slam or straight knock Houndoom out with Earthquake. Porygon2 can trace Houndoom's Flash Fire to make its Fire-type STAB moves useless and then it can proceed to take Dark Pulses and either inflict status on Houndoom or go for a more offensive approach in the form of Tri Attack or Discharge. Hitmontop can take most of Houndoom's attacks and strike back with Close Combat, or "outspeed" and OHKO with Mach Punch. Azumarill can wash away Houndoom with an Aqua Jet. Arcanine can also sponge any of Houndoom's Fire-type moves and pose a threat with both Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed. Due to Houndoom's middling Speed, it is very vulnerable to revenge killing. Faster Pokemon or Choice Scarf users like Flygon, Mienshao, and Darmanitan can OHKO Houndoom with Earthquake, Hi Jump Kick, and Superpower, respectively.</p>